


Watch the embers glow

by elliceluella



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Dorks in Love, Friendship/Love, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 13:55:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17705513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elliceluella/pseuds/elliceluella
Summary: “Gee, now I really don’t want to fall in love,” Jess snorts, but the heat in her glare (was she angry on his behalf? Will wonders never cease?) has softened.“That makes the two of us,” Foggy says, knocking the rest of his drink back. “I had no choice, man. He just showed up that first day and that was it.”





	Watch the embers glow

**Author's Note:**

> For the "He abandoned you" square on my DD bingo card.

“He abandoned you, Nelson. Why—” Jess sighs hard and takes a harder swig from her glass, makes Foggy wince once she slams the empty glass on the bar top. “Why the hell would you still put yourself through all that?”

Foggy casts his gaze down to his hands and shrugs, defeated. “At least he’s talking to me again, y’know? And sure, it hurts to hear him go on about her but—” he looks back up at Jess and she scoffs, rolls her eyes, hard— sheesh does she have to do everything so hard?— because she probably already knows what he’s about to say. 

Foggy says it anyway. “It’d hurt more if he kept those feelings from me because he thought I either hated hearing all that or I hated that part of him.”

“But you do,” Jess presses. “You just said it sucks to hear him talk about his ex. He hurt you, and you’re still experiencing the aftershocks. Ugh, gross, why am even I talking like this?”

Foggy sighs and buries his face in his hands. “I can’t lose him again, okay? We just started working together, I can’t take it if he walked out of my life a second time,” he confesses. “Don’t think I could survive that.” He stares at his drink mournfully. “If the price for loving my straight best friend is that I have to pretend my heart isn’t shattering into a million pieces every time he wonders if he’s betraying the memory of his gorgeous ass-kicking ex-girlfriend or talks about how much he misses her then so be it.”

“Gee, now I really don’t want to fall in love,” Jess snorts, but the heat in her glare (was she angry on his behalf? Will wonders never cease?) has softened.

“That makes the two of us,” Foggy says, knocking the rest of his drink back. “I had no choice, man. He just showed up that first day and that was it.”

It starts to rain when Foggy’s halfway home but he’s already feeling bruised and sorry for himself so he carries on and walks the rest of the way, almost not feeling how soaked he is or that he’s shivering like a wet dog by the time he reaches his place.

He’s changed out of his wet clothes into a pair of sweats and an old shirt, nursing a bottle of beer when there’s a thud on his fire escape followed by several taps on the window.

“What happened, are you hurt?” Foggy asks as he opens the window for Matt, dripping wet in his Daredevil suit. 

“No, I’m— I’m fine, Foggy,” Matt says, but his movements are stiff, not so much in an injured way but like he’s uncomfortable about something. It doesn’t stop Foggy from giving Matt a once-over.

“What’s wrong?” 

Matt’s mouth twists into an unhappy grimace before he pulls the cowl and his gloves off. 

“Let me preface everything by saying I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” he says, and then, when Foggy’s heart plummets to his stomach, he continues in a rush, “I was just passing by, I swear!”

Foggy’s face heats up so fast there’s no mistaking it for the alcohol. His hands start to shake, it’s getting harder to breathe and time slows down until Foggy’d be able to crystalize the moment if he wanted to because this is it, there’s no walking away from this. This is where Matt’s going to very politely exit his life, and there’s nothing Foggy can do about it. He’d have better luck catching sand spilling between his fingers than salvaging this.

“I’m sorry,” Matt begins, tenderly covering Foggy’s hands with his and Foggy shudders. Okay, maybe very politely exiting his life isn’t the best approach. A quick nip in the bud would be more merciful, at this point. “Sorry for the way I left things and our firm that first time, for— all the other shit I’ve put you through and.” Matt takes a deep breath. “Jessica’s right. I hurt you. Not visiting you at the hospital, midland circle, breaking your heart over and over. You deserve better.”

“Matt, I. Please, everything you heard, that was. You weren’t meant to hear all that. I would never expect—” 

Matt cuts him off with a gentle squeeze. “You’re wrong about something though,” he says, a small, timid smile playing across his face. “I’m not as straight as you think I am, because...here’s the thing. I’m trying to be less shitty at showing it, but I’m in love with my best friend too.” 

Foggy stops breathing for a hot second or two. Did he actually die in between Matt telling him he’d overheard Foggy earlier with Jess and Matt squeezing his hand? Because this...definitely feels like a last ditch attempt the neurons and synapses in his brain would helpfully supply during that split second before death. Or something. It’s possible. Foggy’s seen it on TV. 

Matt bites his lip and shakes his head. “I wasn’t clear on how you felt, or that...the idea of us was even an option, after everything that’s happened. I thought, sharing everything with you would show how much— Just didn’t want you worrying that I was hiding anything,” Matt carries on, his thumb rubbing along the inside of Foggy’s wrists. It’s very distressing how a simple touch from Matt has Foggy so breathless. That probably means he’s not dead, then. “I didn’t know it was just hurting you more.” 

Oh. “Oh,” Foggy says. 

“Yeah,” Matt says.

They’re facing each other, Foggy dumbly staring at Matt and wondering how they ended up here while he just dumbly smiles back, still looking a little contrite but also hopeful, adding to the small puddle on Foggy’s floor at this point.

“So...you _parkoured_ your way over, in the rain, just to tell me you’re not leaving me,” Foggy double checks.

“ _Foggy_ ,” Matt huffs, and his mouth doesn’t exactly twist into a moue, but Foggy recognizes the attempt.

“Just checking,” Foggy raises his hands to his chest and tries to take a step back, get some clothes for Matt, but Matt reaches out and latches on to Foggy’s shoulders, like he’s afraid Foggy’s going to leave. Huh. Warmth blooms in his chest.

“I’m just going to get you something dry to change into, Matty.” Foggy says, smoothing a hand over Matt’s grip.

“Can I just,” Matt starts, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “Foggy. Can I kiss you first?”

“Okay, yeah,” Foggy breathes, and loses himself to the moment and Matt’s very, _very_ talented mouth. The fact that his suit clung to every muscle like a second skin was just a very happy bonus.

Later, after they’ve migrated to Foggy’s bed and Matt’s face hasn’t left the back of Foggy’s neck for the past few minutes, Foggy says, “Can’t imagine I smell too good, buddy. I haven’t showered.”

Matt tightens his hold around Foggy’s middle. “No one’s getting out of bed,” he says, insistent. “And you smell good. You smell like you.” He takes a big whiff to prove his point. 

“Hey.” Foggy prods Matt on the arm and waits until Matt makes a questioning noise. “You really didn’t know? About how I...and us as an option?”

“Not after everything, no,” Matt says, one hand trailing up to rest on Foggy’s shoulder. His fingers circle where the bullet left its mark in what feels like a lifetime ago. “I really am sorry, Foggy,” he says, small and sad, and the kiss he presses to Foggy’s shoulder blade feels so quiet and overwhelming Foggy’s vision starts to blur with unshed tears. He squeezes his eyes shut and turns over in Matt’s arms until his face is hidden in Matt’s chest. 

The hurts still blaze through him sometimes, that treacherous voice reminding him Matt’s abandoned him more than once, abandoned him for ex-girlfriends and death, will he be enough for Matt to stay? But he wants to let it all go, yearns to wrap himself up in this instead, stay in Matt’s arms until the world is nothing more than a muted backdrop. 

“I love you,” Matt says, over and over like a vow, voice thick with emotion, as he runs his hands through Foggy’s hair. 

Foggy breathes through his tears and echoes Matt, pressing his lips to Matt’s heart.

He’ll heal, and he’ll have Matt right here with him. 

“Promise me one thing,” Foggy says, a while later. 

“Anything.”

“We’re both taking showers tomorrow morning.”

“Mm,” Matt agrees. “Only if we can take one together.”

“I think that would just be counter productive,” Foggy says, laughing.

“Then we can take another one after that,” Matt suggests, far too delighted in the idea Foggy laughs again and just has to kiss that smirk off his face. “And I’ll make us pancakes.”

“It’s a date,” Foggy agrees, smiling.

“Good,” Matt says, brushing Foggy’s hair from his forehead and kissing him there, warm hand cupping his cheek.

Time doesn’t slow down the way it did earlier, sharp and unpleasant. It’s slow and warm and glows like honey this time, and Foggy keeps this moment forever, a warm ember in his heart. 

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [Tumblr!](http://ellicelluella.tumblr.com/) or [Pillowfort!](https://www.pillowfort.io/elliceluella)


End file.
